BJJ is life

Every now and then I get insanely addicted to a hobby. Past examples include Magic: the Gathering, soccer, various instruments… the list goes on. My latest addiction is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). I started training back in September and have been hooked ever since.

Me getting wrecked at BJJ

I’ve been training 3 to 5 times a week and I honestly can’t stop thinking about it. I often find myself replaying techniques and past sparring sessions in my head. I do this when I’m on the train, when I space out at work meetings, and even when I’m trying to sleep. It doesn’t help that I have two coworkers (who are brown and black belts, respectively) that train me weekly and help me figure out why I get my ass submitted so easily.

What makes BJJ so fun and addictive?

One thing that makes BJJ so fun is that there is an insane amount of strategy involved. For example, you could have your opponent in a rear naked choke and bait him into a kata gatame choke by deliberately letting him escape (a little technique that my friend Bernardo taught me). It’s insanely fun to experiment with different strategies against opponents to see what works and what doesn’t.

Next, I love seeing progress. This is the first time I’ve taken up an individual sport; I find that I can better pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses way better than I can with team sports like soccer. Although I get submitted by my opponents regularly, I see myself getting better at defending myself and even starting string together different attacks. It’s rewarding to see progress in that regard.

Finally, it’s made watching Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) a lot more enjoyable. Watching major UFC events with Bernardo has become a ritual, and it’s awesome to hear his thoughts on what moves the fighters are attempting and what kind of mistakes they might be making. Up until now I’ve only really watched hockey but it’s always nice to learn and appreciate another sport.

Downsides of my BJJ addiction

I love seeing progress in BJJ but I need to be careful not to let my other skills slide. I’ve noticed that I haven’t been practicing my upright bass as much as I used to… and that’s not a good sign.

I’m still trying to figure out how to balance multiple hobbies. Ideally I want to be dope at both, but it’s hard to find time with full-time work and other obligations.

If you’re looking for a new hobby I highly recommend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It’s fun as hell and both physically and mentally rewarding 👊